C2 · 50 words
Opera and music theatre in Spanish
Voice types, closed numbers, staging and the running of a house — the words an opera house uses about itself.
El reparto is the cast, and it is also the van at the door. In a theatre it is the list of who sings what: el reparto vocal, un reparto de lujo. In a shop it is the delivery round: el reparto a domicilio, una furgoneta de reparto. Under both sits the plain verb repartir, to hand out — reparte las cartas. English took two unrelated words for the two jobs, so nothing carries over: a « cast » that arrives by van and a « delivery » of singers are the same mistake twice.
The words
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Phrase (35)
el teatro de óperathe opera house, which opens its season in OctoberPhraseC2
El teatro de ópera abre la temporada en octubre.The opera house opens the season in October.
la temporada líricathe opera season, counted in titles rather than in weeksPhraseC2
La temporada lírica reúne ocho títulos.The opera season brings together eight titles.
el número cerradothe closed piece that stops the action to lay out a feelingPhraseC2
El número cerrado detiene la acción y expone un sentimiento.The closed number stops the action and lays out a feeling.
la escena y ariathe scene and aria, twelve minutes for one character alonePhraseC2
La escena y aria ocupa doce minutos.The scene and aria take twelve minutes.
el aria de bravurathe aria that asks for agility and stamina at oncePhraseC2
El aria de bravura exige agilidad y resistencia.The bravura aria demands agility and stamina.
el recitativo acompañadothe recitative with strings behind the voicePhraseC2
El recitativo acompañado lleva cuerda detrás de la voz.The accompanied recitative carries strings behind the voice.
el final de actothe piece that piles every character on at the end of an actPhraseC2
El final de acto acumula a todos los personajes.The act finale gathers all the characters.
el dúo operísticothe piece for two in which the conflict is settledPhraseC2
El dúo operístico decide el conflicto.The operatic duet settles the conflict.
el intermedio sinfónicothe orchestral passage that covers a change of sceneryPhraseC2
El intermedio sinfónico cubre el cambio de decorado.The symphonic interlude covers the change of scenery.
el foso de orquestathe pit that holds eighty playersPhraseC2
El foso de orquesta acoge a ochenta músicos.The orchestra pit takes eighty players.
el maestro concertadorthe coach who rehearses the soloists at the pianoPhraseC2
El maestro concertador ensaya con los solistas al piano.The répétiteur rehearses with the soloists at the piano.
la concha del apuntadorthe prompter's hood standing out of the edge of the stagePhraseC2
La concha del apuntador sobresale del borde del escenario.The prompter's hood stands out of the edge of the stage.
el ensayo con orquestathe rehearsal with the players down in the pitPhraseC2
El ensayo con orquesta reveló un tempo imposible.The orchestral rehearsal revealed an impossible tempo.
el estreno en el paísthe first performance in the country, which can come decades latePhraseC2
El estreno en el país llegó cuarenta años tarde.The first performance in the country came forty years late.
la reposición escénicathe bringing back of a staging from ten years agoPhraseC2
La reposición escénica recupera un montaje de hace diez años.The revival brings back a staging from ten years ago.
la puesta en escenathe staging, which may move the action to an officePhraseC2
La puesta en escena traslada la acción a una oficina.The staging moves the action to an office.
la dirección escénicathe direction of the staging, often at odds with the conductorPhraseC2
La dirección escénica discutió con el director musical.The stage direction argued with the musical direction.
el taller de decoradosthe workshop that spends three months on each productionPhraseC2
El taller de decorados trabaja tres meses por producción.The scenery workshop works three months per production.
el vestuario escénicothe costumes, made inside the housePhraseC2
El vestuario escénico se confeccionó en la casa.The costumes were made in the house.
el plano de lucesthe lighting plan, marking a hundred and twenty lampsPhraseC2
El plano de luces marca ciento veinte aparatos.The lighting plan marks a hundred and twenty lamps.
el telón de bocathe main curtain, which need not fall between scenesPhraseC2
El telón de boca no cae entre los dos cuadros.The main curtain does not fall between the two scenes.
el registro de sopranothe highest female voice, reaching the top CPhraseC2
El registro de soprano llega al do sobreagudo.The soprano range reaches the high C.
el tenor líricothe light male voice, known by its bright colourPhraseC2
El tenor lírico se distingue por el color claro.The lyric tenor is known by its bright colour.
el bajo profundothe male voice that carries the bottom of the castPhraseC2
El bajo profundo sostiene el registro más grave del reparto.The deep bass holds the lowest register of the cast.
el paso de registrothe join between registers, audible if it is not workedPhraseC2
El paso de registro se oye si no está trabajado.The register break is heard if it has not been worked.
la emisión vocalthe sending out of the tone, supported from the diaphragmPhraseC2
La emisión vocal se apoya en el diafragma.Vocal emission rests on the diaphragm.
el legato vocalthe binding of notes without a stroke of the glottisPhraseC2
El legato vocal une las notas sin golpe de glotis.The vocal legato joins the notes without a glottal stroke.
el papel titularthe part that gives the work its name, three hours on stagePhraseC2
El papel titular está sobre el escenario tres horas.The title role is on stage for three hours.
el reparto vocalthe singers announced for a run, two months in advancePhraseC2
El reparto vocal se anunció con dos meses de antelación.The vocal cast was announced two months in advance.
el cantante de cubiertathe second singer, who may go on without a rehearsalPhraseC2
El cantante de cubierta entró en escena sin ensayo.The cover singer went on without a rehearsal.
el corte de partiturathe cut version, which drops a versePhraseC2
El corte de partitura elimina la segunda estrofa.The cut version removes the second verse.
el bel cantothe style that asks for line before forcePhraseC2
El bel canto exige línea antes que fuerza.Bel canto demands line before force.
el verismo operísticothe style that puts people without titles on the stagePhraseC2
El verismo operístico lleva a escena a gente sin título.Operatic verismo puts people without titles on the stage.
la ópera bufathe comic kind, which ends with the tangle undonePhraseC2
La ópera bufa termina con un enredo resuelto.Comic opera ends with the tangle resolved.
el aplauso a telón caídothe applause after the curtain, measured in minutesPhraseC2
El aplauso a telón caído duró veinte minutos.The applause after the curtain lasted twenty minutes.
Noun (m) (7)
el libretothe text a composer sets, a novel cut down to three actsNoun (m)C2
El libreto reduce la novela a tres actos.The libretto cuts the novel down to three acts.
el libretistathe writer of that text, working next to the composerNoun (m)C2
El libretista trabajó junto al compositor.The librettist worked alongside the composer.
el concertantethe ensemble piece that gathers six soloists and the chorusNoun (m)C2
El concertante junta a seis solistas y el coro.The ensemble piece brings together six soloists and the chorus.
el prosceniothe strip at the front that brings a singer close to the roomNoun (m)C2
El proscenio acerca al cantante al público.The proscenium brings the singer closer to the audience.
el sobretituladothe surtitles thrown above the stageNoun (m)C2
El sobretitulado se proyecta encima del escenario.The surtitles are projected above the stage.
el barítonothe male voice between tenor and bass, usually the fatherNoun (m)C2
El barítono asume el papel del padre.The baritone takes the father's part.
el fiatothe breath that carries a phrase across twelve barsNoun (m)C2
El fiato le permite una frase de doce compases.The breath control allows a phrase of twelve bars.
Noun (f) (8)
la cavatinathe aria that introduces a character on the first entryNoun (f)C2
La cavatina presenta al personaje en su primera entrada.The cavatina presents the character on the first entry.
la cabalettathe fast aria that closes the sceneNoun (f)C2
La cabaletta cierra la escena en tempo rápido.The cabaletta closes the scene at a fast tempo.
la oberturathe orchestral opening that gives away two themesNoun (f)C2
La obertura anticipa dos temas de la ópera.The overture anticipates two themes of the opera.
la tramoyathe machinery that moves the set in twenty secondsNoun (f)C2
La tramoya mueve el decorado en veinte segundos.The stage machinery moves the set in twenty seconds.
la mezzosopranothe female voice below it, which takes the character partsNoun (f)C2
La mezzosoprano canta los papeles de carácter.The mezzo-soprano sings the character parts.
la contraltothe lowest female voice of allNoun (f)C2
La contralto es la voz femenina más grave.The contralto is the lowest female voice.
la coloraturathe running notes sung without a breath between themNoun (f)C2
La coloratura se canta sin respirar entre las notas.Coloratura is sung without breathing between the notes.
la zarzuelathe Spanish kind, alternating singing and speechNoun (f)C2
La zarzuela alterna partes cantadas y habladas.The zarzuela alternates sung and spoken parts.
This list belongs to Art and culture — 29 lists and 1450 words that can also be practised as a whole.
Practise this list
From these 50 words, as many per round as you like — up to all of them: first what is due today, then new ones. First you choose, then you fill the gap, then you write it yourself. Mistakes come back again shortly.